Light, Composition and Life With Pulitzer Prize Nominated Photographer Greg Kahn

Pulitzer Prize finalist Greg Kahn is an award-winning documentary photographer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, British Vogue, and on the covers of Time and Newsweek. In this episode of the Big Photo Hunt podcast, Greg dives into the art of working with light, the importance of composition, tips for thriving as a freelance photographer, and his unique approach to capturing authentic moments.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights from Greg’s creative mindset and discover how a Pulitzer Prize finalist sees—and photographs—the world. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways for every photographer.

Transcript

00:00:01:14 - 00:00:14:07
And I asked you a tip. And at that point I knew nothing. And you're like, focus on light. Literally, it's like, what the hell does that mean? And then you're like, Yeah, my wife is a photographer too, and we just focus on light. We walk around looking at light. I'm like, This guy Greg knows nothing. 

00:00:16:08 - 00:00:18:01
But now I realized, you know everything. 

00:00:19:03 - 00:00:21:27
It's true. It's true. It's a sneaky one. 

00:00:22:29 - 00:00:44:12
Welcome to the Big Photo Hunt podcast, a show where we talk with aspiring and professional photographers to help us all grow and improve our photography together. I'm your host, Ken Deckinger. If you're one of our community members and you'd like to be a guest on the show, please visit big photo hunt.com for more information. 

00:00:51:22 - 00:01:21:24
Hi everyone. Welcome to the Big Photo Hunt podcast. Today on the show, I'm excited and honored to welcome Greg Kahn, a professional photographer, and frankly, someone who I have the utmost respect for. And Greg, just so you know, I have respect for you for a number of reasons. Of course, your skills. But the fact that you talk to me, I have a lot of respect for that. I'm like this bald, loud person. I always found you very intentional and thoughtful. And so thank you for dealing with me in quiet and very quiet. Yeah, but you're so good, man. You think about things. I just talk. So thank you. 

00:01:23:04 - 00:01:40:13
Today we're going to talk about Greg's story and also touch on his tips for managing some of the things that if you're like me, I struggle with grasping and primarily that's light and composition. And I think we'll also learn a lot from Greg's process about how he identifies great shots. So Greg, welcome to the Big Photo Hunt podcast. 

00:01:40:15 - 00:01:42:04
Thank you. Appreciate it. Good to be here. 

00:01:42:09 - 00:01:55:25
Greg is an award winning documentary, Fine Art Photographer. His work has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic and British Vogue. And, if I'm not mistaken, also cover photos for Time magazine and Newsweek. 

00:01:55:27 - 00:01:56:12
Oh, yeah. 

00:01:56:17 - 00:02:28:12
And before we get moving, one last thing I just want to say to everyone, because I know Greg won't tell you about this. Last time we spoke, I pigeonholed you into saying that we're friends and I basically twisted your arm and said, We're friends, right, Greg And you said we're friends. And so I took the liberty to be super excited for Greg because he's officially my only friend who was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist. And more importantly, and one of the reasons I respect him so much is, as you'll hear today, I'm sure he's beyond humble about such a recognition. And so he won't tell you about this. 

00:02:28:14 - 00:02:42:06
But I will tell you that Greg is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and I think that's a super, super big deal. And so every time we get together, I remind him. And anyway, we've got a lot to talk about. Greg, I'm proud of you. I mean, like, you know, we're friends. 

00:02:44:21 - 00:02:48:15
First of all, how's it feel to be here? This kind of comes full circle to how we met the first time. 

00:02:48:17 - 00:02:55:11
Yeah. Yeah. Last time we talked, it was extensive talk about Cuba and kind of the work that I was doing down there. 

00:02:55:13 - 00:03:00:19
Yeah, we were both mutually working in Cuba on different projects. Have you been down there at all since? 

00:03:00:21 - 00:03:23:14
No, it's been a minute. You know, I had an exhibition for the book that came out and which was really great because the artist talk actually was able to get a Zoom call going with some of the people that I photographed and have them talk about their experiences and how they view the book. And they could answer one on one questions, which was, you know, another thing that wasn't happening so much. So I think it was great. 

00:03:24:06 - 00:03:47:09
The book was called or the book is called Havana Youth. One of the reasons I found it so compelling was your images. One of the things you really focus on is the cultural identity, the personal side of people, and your images, more so than most other images I saw coming out of Cuba. Really, you could feel it. Transparency, like you could feel like you could. You knew the person that you were photographing. Yeah. 

00:03:47:21 - 00:03:57:18
I think that's important, though, right? If you're going to tell a story, it's got to be done right. And you can't kind of half try. You have to really go all in. And that's kind of the way that I work is going all in. 

00:03:57:20 - 00:03:59:15
How important that is is that in Cuba. 

00:03:59:29 - 00:04:31:16
When it comes to Cuba, I feel kind of protective of people working in Cuba because it's so visually interesting, but so visually stereotyped that feel like. Oftentimes the Cuban people are misrepresented and not really addressed in the correct way. So when I'm down there, I really try to emphasize their story and the way that they want to tell their story versus bringing my own thoughts and opinions in and trying to make that fit into the box. 

00:04:32:12 - 00:04:33:20
And how do you go about that? 

00:04:35:15 - 00:05:05:17
You allow them to tell their story versus trying to tell them or trying to only cherry pick what you think is best. So, you know, I came down there with an idea of of looking at what happens when a country that was built on collectivism starts to allow a rise of individuality. And that's the premise that I go down there with. But then I just talk to people there. I become their friends. Like it has to be part of the process for me in order to tell an accurate story. 

00:05:05:19 - 00:05:39:25
And I think the real proof of that is the people that I photographed seeing the finished product and saying, Yeah, this is exactly right, you know, writing essays for the book, helping me through that so that I don't I'm getting the story right and I'm not inserting myself into the story. It's a long process because, I mean, as anyone will know, if you walk into someone's house and immediately start photographing, it's going to make people uncomfortable. The people that you're not uncomfortable with are people that you already know. So the aim for me was first and foremost is to get to know people. 

00:05:39:28 - 00:06:15:17
And it's a lot easier to keep the camera in the bag and just hang out until somebody really gets to know you and feels comfortable with you. And then when you take the camera out, it's a whole different ballgame because they trust you and they understand you're there for the right reasons and that you're not going to misrepresent. And I think that's a that's a big deal. And I think a lot of times people, you know, whether it's based on time or intention, think, you know, people sometimes get that wrong and think that becomes a problem because then you start to see stories that don't really tell authentically what the experience is. 

00:06:15:23 - 00:06:29:07
Do you take that same intentionality to photos that are not of people, for example? I mean, I go out and we'll take 300 photos and if I'm lucky, one of them is worth showing My mom. I see your work. It appears to me you you're just nailing it every time. 

00:06:29:09 - 00:07:02:07
Yeah, well, that's not the case. Obviously. I'm taking thousands of photos, and, you know, the percentage that I want to show is very small. I'd like to use my camera to explore when we're talking about landscapes or other things, it's the same idea. I start trying things, I see what's working, I see what's not working, and I keep moving on from there. Sometimes, like I'll go through my take after I get back and what I'll see. I know to go to the last photos in the take because that's when it started finally connecting. That's when I finally started seeing the kind of images that I was thinking of in my mind when I when I said so. 

00:07:02:09 - 00:07:13:07
That's, you know, that's pretty typical. But and it's and it's fine because it's like starting with a sketch and then you're finally filling in layers and layers and layers, and then you finally get to an end product that you really love. 

00:07:13:27 - 00:07:22:27
When you say you start seeing it after multiple takes, what is it that you see? Just a composition that's different or lighting is different or just the way the image is laid out? 

00:07:22:29 - 00:08:01:26
Yeah, sometimes it's I like to see. Sometimes I actually like to review things and sometimes I like to, you know, I was recently in Arizona working on something and I and I photographed inside of a lab for a day, and I came back to my hotel and I looked through the pictures that night, pulled together the images that I thought worked. And I said, why is this not acting in the way that I want it to connect? Why is this not what am I not seeing in this? And I go and I think in my head, like, what is it that I'm trying to show? And how can I better communicate that in this situation? And now that I've seen the place, now that I've been around the place, I have a better idea. 

00:08:01:28 - 00:08:37:26
So the next day when I go back, I have a much clearer vision of how to achieve the kind of imagery that I want and that makes a world of difference. And so going back the next day, you know, maybe the first day I have, you know, three or 4 or 5 photos that I think are successful and the next day will be 15, 20 photos. And so it builds and builds and builds. And then it gets to a point where you've been there long enough and you've kind of exhausted that idea. And then instead of having 15, 20 photos a day that work, then there's five and then there's four and there's three because you're being even more intentional. 

00:08:37:28 - 00:08:56:14
But those pictures are usually the ones that are hardest to get, have to be planned for the best or have to be found in the right light or the right moment. And and those are some of the most rewarding pictures, even though, you know, they're coming at the very end and it comes on the third or fourth day working on something. 

00:08:57:01 - 00:09:04:14
Let's take a step back and talk about you. So tell me about your story, like where you started, what got you interested in photography and a little bit about your background. 

00:09:04:27 - 00:09:36:09
I grew up in Rhode Island and from a very early age was looking at the issues of National Geographic. My parents would get those every month. I was absolutely fascinated by it. I loved the idea of exploring our world and and telling stories. And I ended up in high school going to a summit, being selected as one of ten students around the country to go to the North American Nature Photography Association's weeklong summit. 

00:09:36:21 - 00:10:10:20
So I got to get out of school. I got to go to San Diego, and I spent a week studying and listening to National Geographic photographers talk about their craft. That moment for me was that I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I knew what I wanted to be. I knew what I wanted to. I knew that photography was going to be the thing that I pursued. And so I went to George Washington University where I got to study photography. I was looking for school that had photography as a major as well as a Division one soccer program, because I was very much into soccer as well. 

00:10:11:07 - 00:10:45:01
George Washington University provided that for me and it was a great experience. After that I had a degree and I had to move back home because I had no money and kind of figure out what the next step was. What happened was I was reading a photography trade magazine and saw an ad for a workshop. It's called The Mountain Workshop, and it was in Kentucky, and they have it every year for photojournalists. And it was something that I saw, and I realized it was exactly the kind of thing I needed to do in order to take my work to the next step. 

00:10:45:03 - 00:11:17:12
I went there. I worked for a week on one story, and after that was done, it became part of the portfolio that I used to get my first newspaper job in North Carolina. Spend a couple years there, worked really, really hard. I had the night shift, so it was basically 1 to 11 p.m. and I had almost no life. All I wanted to do was work. I was obsessed. And that job and the work that came from that job eventually landed me at a newspaper in Florida. And I spent five years there and learned a ton. 

00:11:17:14 - 00:11:49:06
And that was the paper. I was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for working on a foreclosure story when the, you know, the big recession happened back in 2009 or so and was kind of like right in the middle of it. So I wanted to do something that was a little bit broader than a daily story. So I worked really hard on a major project that ran over the course of five days and lots and lots of pictures were used and it was really, really successful in terms of capturing that idea of what was going on in Florida at that time. 

00:11:49:17 - 00:12:25:16
After that was done, I kind of started thinking about bigger ideas and bigger projects. But I was at a regional newspaper, so that wasn't going to happen. And I kind of saw that the newspaper direction was not what I wanted anymore. I wanted to diversify and be able to do more things. And that's when I decided freelance was the best option. So moving back to DC, starting freelance in 2012 and I've been doing that since and it's been absolutely incredible. Each year I feel like I've done new and interesting things that I've never done before and kind of stretch myself creatively. 

00:12:25:18 - 00:12:33:10
And I love the space that, I mean, it's like the first time I've never been mad at my boss because I am my boss, and if I don't like something, I'll just change it. 

00:12:34:03 - 00:12:42:27
I get a lot of questions from people in our community about how they can find freelance work. What kind of tips do you have to people that are looking for that? 

00:12:43:13 - 00:13:16:14
None. I have none. I mean, it's it's a it's a feast or famine type thing. I mean, I'm currently going through one of the slower periods that I've been through. It's a really difficult life to live, is to be wondering where the next job is going to come from. And I've made peace with that. But, you know, it's all about building relationships like everything else in life. It's building relationships. And whether it's with creative directors or art directors or photo editors, you have to get to know people and you have to have the work to back it up. 

00:13:16:16 - 00:13:48:01
If you can build a real relationship, not networking, but a real relationship with somebody who is assigning work and you have the portfolio and you know what you want to do and you can express that in your photography, then you'll you'll get work. It's the biggest challenge because everyone wants the easy fix. Everyone wants to, you know, all right, like, where's my big break? And there's no big break. It's, you know, time and time again you hear it from every successful creative is that there's no such thing as a big break. 

00:13:48:03 - 00:13:50:05
It's a constant grind and a constant hustle. 

00:13:50:09 - 00:14:05:05
What kind of advice would you have for people dealing with that hustle? I mean, internally, because I know it's challenging. And as you kind of alluded to, you've made peace with that. Yeah. So someone someone that's starting to feel that hustle. What kind of advice would you have for them to managing that? 

00:14:05:07 - 00:14:38:27
I'd say probably make sure that you have enough money saved up when, you know, when I first started, I was at the newspaper and I started, you know, saving everything for over a year before launching out of my own because I wanted to make sure I had enough runway to get established. And you just have to let the creativity drive you. You have to know how to pitch stories. You have to know how to take everything that comes your way, that that has a contract that is decent. You have to know how to say no to things, things that aren't beneficial to you. 

00:14:38:29 - 00:15:17:20
You have to know how to say no because you can spend your time working on things that aren't going to pay. In the end, you're not going to get anywhere with that. I've learned so much over the last ten years being freelance that I didn't know before, and some of it just comes through experience and some of it just comes through meeting other photographers and listening to them and listening to their advice about the industry. So, you know, it's just one of those things. It just takes time and there's a lot of bumps in the road. But if you can keep yourself kind of, you know, even keel and not get too happy when things are great and not get too sad when things are bad, it's, you know, just keep your emotions in check throughout the process. 

00:15:17:22 - 00:15:18:15
It'll always shake. 

00:15:18:17 - 00:15:25:26
Out. You mentioned you've learned a lot. What's one thing you've learned that could help some of our listeners now if you were to go back that you might do differently? 

00:15:25:28 - 00:15:58:11
I don't know if it's something I would go back, but I found that having really good communication goes a long way and I know a lot of people won't go that extra mile to keep that line of communication open during an assignment like even to the point where after a portrait assignment is over, I'll even just send a text to the editor just letting them know that, hey, just wrapped. Everything looks good, you know? Or, hey, there was a there was a problem. We got cut down to five minutes for the portrait assignment, things like that, just so that they don't have to worry about what's going on. 

00:15:58:13 - 00:16:18:14
On my end. They're like, Oh, I hope it went okay. I haven't heard from the photographer. There's so many photographers who will not do that. And I just find it so beneficial to just really be open and honest with the editor and just keep in constant touch so that they don't have to be like, Oh, I wonder how it went. I want to answer that question before they ask it. 

00:16:18:16 - 00:16:49:08
I think that's excellent advice. I've been doing freelance video work here and there. One of the things that I think keeps getting me invited back to do more work is that I usually put myself in the shoes of the client or the person I'm working for and thinking, What would I want if I were them? What would I need? And communication is one of those. I would want to know where we are in the project, what's happening, and always know that everything is working the way it needs to happen. And that's because that's that's what I want as a business owner. 

00:16:49:10 - 00:17:02:08
Like I have some engineers working for me right now. One of them communicates with me every single day and he's showing me code and another one I don't hear from and yeah, I don't like that. So yeah, I. 

00:17:02:10 - 00:17:32:16
Mean, you got to find that healthy balance, right? Like you don't want to annoy the editor, but I mean, like you said, put yourself in their shoes and I guarantee you an editor would love to work with somebody who was pleasant and communicative over somebody who was a genius, but they weren't sure when they would see the photos. I think I think it just goes such a long way just to reach out and say, hey, you know, this is how it went. When would you like the low res images by what would you like to see? What's your plan? Very simple things. 

00:17:32:18 - 00:17:50:03
But I think a lot of times, you know, as photographers and I know myself included, like I have to force myself out of the shyness that comes with it because it's very easy for me to fall into a way of of just kind of being in my own little cocoon and just assuming that everything will be just fine. I just need to put my head down. 

00:17:50:05 - 00:17:56:23
I get it. And I think a lot of creatives get so enamored with the creative process and that's what they love. But if you do. 

00:17:56:25 - 00:17:59:03
Want, yeah, it's what draws you to it, you know. 

00:17:59:05 - 00:18:05:18
100%. And if you but if you do want to be in business and you want to earn a living, you also have to balance that with the business side of things. 

00:18:05:21 - 00:18:06:09
Yeah. 

00:18:06:25 - 00:18:39:03
So one question I have, and this is well, let me back up a second. So as I've started to really kind of try to hone in on different components of my photography, one thing that I've taken to heart that has been really helpful is this idea of focusing on the skills, not the gear, and not what you're shooting with. Because once you can focus on those skills, you can always apply those skills to whatever gear you're working with to a degree. And absolutely. And I remember actually and I remember you and I had a we had a conversation. 

00:18:39:05 - 00:19:15:22
We were doing some online chat about a year or two ago. And I even mentioned how the one thing you told me to focus on was light. And I told you all I wanted to do was just buy a new lens. And you're like, your exact quote was, You can't buy yourself out of this one, Ken. And so I would love to talk about light. I have so many questions about light, and you were the first person that ever mentioned this to me. When we first met, we were doing our interview and I asked you a tip. And at that point I knew nothing. And you're like, focus on light, literally, like, what the hell does that mean? And then you're like, Yeah, my wife is a photographer too, and we just focus on light. 

00:19:15:24 - 00:19:19:02
We walk around looking at light. I'm like, This guy Greg knows nothing. 

00:19:21:26 - 00:19:23:22
But now I realize you know everything. 

00:19:24:23 - 00:19:29:18
It's true. It's true. It's a sneaky one. I mean, you know, obviously, you know, the whole profession is. 

00:19:29:20 - 00:19:59:29
Based on the camera recording light. And so understanding how that works. I mean, I go through art history books looking at how master painters use light, and I study how that light can be created with the lights that I have or with the window mean I break down, I look at photos, I see photos that I'm inspired by, and I'll try and break down the light that I can see in their eyes and wonder what they used and how it was, how it was used. 

00:20:00:01 - 00:20:42:21
And it's an obsession. I mean, I absolutely am fascinated by how light travels through a room when you're when you're in this, you know, you walk into a room and it's gorgeous light and, you know, it's gorgeous light in that room and you're like, oh, man, this light is just beautiful, right? When you get in that room, I then look and I say, okay, is it overcast? Like, which direction are the windows facing? Like, how is that light bouncing in? Is it bouncing off the floor? What colors the floor? Is it a warm wood floor? Is that filling in with warm tones? Is it bouncing off the windowsill and hitting the ceiling? What does it look like? How does it is it soft on the ceiling? Is it hard light on the ceiling? I'm doing all of this. 

00:20:42:23 - 00:21:16:07
I'm just analyzing the light all the time, everywhere. And then I go, How can I recreate that with in any situation at any time, anywhere so that I don't need a perfect day or perfect situation? How can I make that recreate that light artificially so that it looks just like this? Because I'm not interested in I'm not the kind of photographer who's interested in using light so that it feels lit. I'm the kind of photographer who wants to light things so that people don't realize that it's lit. 

00:21:16:29 - 00:21:37:15
That way. The documentary work that I do that's not lit and the portraiture or the kind of sometimes commercial stuff that I do will all work together under one kind of concept, one person. It looks like it from the same photographer. So for me, it's all about creating light so that it doesn't look like I've created light. 

00:21:38:14 - 00:21:50:02
I'm going to Italy. It's shortly and I'm going to take my camera and go out and just do a ton of street photography. And I. I've got enough to think about now. I've got to worry about all this. 

00:21:50:13 - 00:22:40:18
No, but see, here's the thing. Here's the thing. You can look at this and you can see the sun as your primary light source. And you're going to have to know where the sun needs to be. There's an app on the phone that can show you all throughout the day where that sun's going to be so you can plan. And all you need else is a fill light, whether that's a flash on your camera or something, but just something that you can control. The shadows. And so many photographers, one light go up in the, you know, way above and beyond and forget that a simple fill light is going to really bring out the texture and detail and the shadows that you need that, you know, their photos end up being overly contrasty or you lose detail in those shadows because it's too bright or they go out the wrong time of the day. 

00:22:40:20 - 00:23:13:25
So the sun is directly straight above them and not, you know, at a lower angle from the earlier and later times in the day. It's just these little things. And I know that what we do is we we want to spend the day traveling and walking around and stuff. But over the last few years, what I've been doing when I work on personal practices, I go, wait a minute, I get to set my own schedule here. This isn't adjusted for the editor and the person that I'm photographing. I get to make my own schedule with this, so I will be outside photographing early and I'll be outside photographing late. 

00:23:13:27 - 00:23:34:08
And if there's something inside that I need to photograph that can come in the middle of the day because then I can use the light appropriately. But I don't want to be trying to do a portrait outside at noon. There's way too much that I have to do to try and rescue that. And I and I just don't I don't want to bring the equipment to try and, you know, change that. 

00:23:34:15 - 00:23:55:26
I know that this topic, we could literally spend three hours or more talking about this or we could spend three days. But I've got two questions that I need to grasp. One is, are you looking at light how it lights your source or are you looking at it at how the light can tell a story better on your subject? 

00:23:56:07 - 00:24:31:26
Yeah, no, all of it. I mean, the way light travels, if you're just shooting a strobe straight without any modifiers, you're going to have hard light and it's going to look like more like the sun than anything else. And, you know, using that in the wrong context can tell a different story than throwing a giant umbrella on it and softening that light and having it go through a silk or something that really softens it. And having something that's that's that that will wrap around someone's face a lot softer, you know, a lot less shadow or a lot softer shadows. 

00:24:31:28 - 00:24:48:13
That's the kind of stuff that, depending on the story that you're telling, might be important. And so I think that's certainly something to think about each time you're watching the light. So it's not just the source of light, but it's the quality of light that's on the person that you're photographing. 

00:24:49:04 - 00:25:02:05
I'll have to have you back because we're going to spend time in Florence and I want to get pictures of the bridge. You know, the famous bridge in Florence? Yeah, in Florence. It'll be my first time there. I'll have to show that to you. And you'll have to critique it afterwards. 

00:25:02:07 - 00:25:02:24
Yeah, I mean. 

00:25:03:07 - 00:25:43:02
All it say is like, just wait until the last ounce of sunlight is there and then stay just a little bit after that, because you never know. Like some people go in the early afternoon and they're like, Oh, okay, this is this looks good. This is this is pretty good light. And it keeps getting better and better and better and better. And then people, you know, once the last little drop of sun goes away, people will go, oh, right, that was it. And then magic hour happens and you're like, Oh, wait, this actually just got even more moody depending on if they're clouds in the sky or something, you know, you just. The best part about it is being able to just linger somewhere and stay and just watch, you know, just kind of observe. 

00:25:43:06 - 00:25:54:12
And for something like photographing a bridge, that's a great way to do it. It's just to allow yourself time, like get a gelato and hang out for a while, you know, and just just let the light fade and see where it takes you. 

00:25:55:05 - 00:26:25:14
On the same note of light, there's the idea of composition. And another thing that I recall and just for the listeners here, when Greg and I first met, I was not actually into photography. And so, Greg, you were like one of the first photographers I'd really ever interviewed. And so some of the things that you mentioned in that conversation, I remember because it was the first time I had heard these concepts. And so I remember you talking about the rules and your comment was knowing when to break the rules. And I'm still figuring the rules out. So we're not worried about breaking them yet. 

00:26:25:23 - 00:26:46:00
But one thing I do have a question about is the idea of composition. Are you going into a scene saying, okay, I want to compose it like this, or are you going in saying, Oh, I see how this is unfolding in my frame? I think this is the composition that is appearing and it works. 

00:26:46:27 - 00:27:20:06
I guess it depends on the situation. You know, there are some times where I'm photographing something and I'll be in kind of close and. All of a sudden it'll hit me like. What if I back up really far? What if I. What if I look at this from, like, a, you know, a renaissance landscape painting and really back up? Not. Not like, let's pretend that the stage is a much bigger area and that the people that I'm photographing are on that stage. 

00:27:20:08 - 00:27:59:27
And there's there's there's more to see here. And I think that's being able to do both of those things is really important. And sometimes the thing that works out best is for me to really take a step back and just change that, you know, challenge my own idea of what the best image is and take a step back and try something different and then look at that and say, what do I like? What do I what do I not like with this? And kind of go from there. And I think that's where I start to. That's where the light bulb goes off and I start to have more success when I start challenging my own notions because I get into my own habits. 

00:27:59:29 - 00:28:04:02
And breaking those habits is really important when I'm photographing. 

00:28:04:12 - 00:28:17:27
I've noticed I get into habits too, and I always wonder if I see a photo I like and I'm like, Wait, I just would never see it that way. Yeah, I'm always walking into a situation and taking a photo this way and I'm like, God, I really want to do it that way. 

00:28:18:11 - 00:28:50:02
Yeah. You know, there was a there's a story about a college professor who would make their photo. Students only use a 50 millimeter lens for the entire semester because everyone wants to use the wide angle. So everyone wants to get more into the shop. And they forced their students to use 50 and everyone, you know, once you use it for so long, you you learn how to use it and you learn what the abilities of that kind of lens are. And it can change the way you photograph things. And it's the same thing with horizontals and verticals. 

00:28:50:04 - 00:29:32:04
It's the same with a telephoto lens or a wide. They all have their strengths and weaknesses and it's about finding some unexpected surprises along the way. Again, what I love about this profession is those unexpected surprises. When you're out photographing, you never know if you're going to come across something or find out a different way of doing something or lighting something a different way, that's going to completely change the way you think about it and yield a surprising, successful photo. You know, you come back, you know, when you got something and you come back and you're really excited to see it and you rush home and you, you know, upload it on the computer and you're just kind of like, this was I can't believe this moment happened. 

00:29:32:06 - 00:29:41:03
I can't believe that I was there to see this or that. The light hit it just right. Those are the kinds of things like keep me coming back for more and. 

00:29:41:05 - 00:29:44:04
It will never happen again. That exact way. Yeah. 

00:29:44:16 - 00:29:45:18
Yeah, yeah. 

00:29:45:28 - 00:29:47:20
Almost can make the light the way I want it to. 

00:29:48:12 - 00:29:49:17
Let me know if you figure that one out. 

00:29:51:23 - 00:29:59:19
Is there anything that if you were to leave our listeners with one parting tip or resource or something to think about, is there anything that pops into your mind? 

00:30:00:13 - 00:30:10:09
I think it's all being curious. I think just follow curiosity. That's the most important thing. Leave the ego behind and just be curious. Ask more questions. 

00:30:10:15 - 00:30:12:03
Where can people find you online? 

00:30:12:19 - 00:30:19:05
I am on Instagram at Greg Kahn. Also on Twitter at Greg Kahn website is Greg Kahn. 

00:30:19:12 - 00:30:31:18
Com and that's Greg okay. And for everybody listening. Got it. And I, I know I joke a lot about how much I respect you and stuff but all kidding aside, thank you so much. Really appreciate your time. 

00:30:31:21 - 00:30:32:06
Oh. 

00:30:32:15 - 00:30:41:03
It was wonderful talking with you. You know, obviously, I really get into it when we start talking about any kinds of aspects of photography. So any time. 

00:30:41:05 - 00:31:02:24
I'll be back as soon as I get that picture of the bridge in Florence. Please. Do you see what please do? I'll critique it. Thank you so much for joining me for today's episode. Our next show will feature more valuable stories from our community members. If you'd like to audition to be a guest, please visit Big Photo Hunt for more information. Thanks again for listening today.